Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) Shares Sold by Argent Trust Co

Argent Trust Co cut its holdings in shares of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) by 0.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 32,248 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 269 shares during the quarter. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Quest Diagnostics were worth $4,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth about $786,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Quest Diagnostics by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,109,515 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $288,758,000 after purchasing an additional 129,395 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter worth $22,049,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Quest Diagnostics during the second quarter valued at $3,161,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Quest Diagnostics by 2.8% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 226,598 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $31,017,000 after buying an additional 6,230 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DGX shares. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Quest Diagnostics in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Quest Diagnostics from $153.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Barclays upped their target price on Quest Diagnostics from $144.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Quest Diagnostics from $152.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.33.

Quest Diagnostics Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of DGX opened at $155.39 on Wednesday. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a 52-week low of $119.59 and a 52-week high of $159.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.48. The company has a market capitalization of $17.26 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.89.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The medical research company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. Quest Diagnostics had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 15.35%. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.39 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.30 earnings per share. Quest Diagnostics’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Quest Diagnostics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Quest Diagnostics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.38%.

Insider Transactions at Quest Diagnostics

In related news, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,756,206.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, SVP Mark E. Delaney sold 420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.08, for a total value of $60,093.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $718,118.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Karthik Kuppusamy sold 1,990 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.26, for a total value of $304,987.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,756,206.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Quest Diagnostics Profile

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services.